Document – The Story of Ali Cogia, a Merchant of Baghdad, from The Arabian Nights

Document

In reign of the caliph Haroun Alraschid, there lived at Bagdad a merchant, whose name was Ali Cogia, that was neither one of the richest nor meanest sort. He was a bachelor, and lived master of his own actions, in the house which was his father’s, very well content with the profit he made of his trading; but happening to dream for three nights together that a venerable old man came to him, and, with a severe look reprimanded him for not having made a pilgrimage to Mecca, he was very much troubled.

As a good Muslim, he knew he was obliged to undertake a pilgrimage; but as he had a house, shop, and goods, he always believed that they might stand for a sufficient reason to excuse him, endeavoring by his charity, and good deeds, to atone for that neglect. But after this dream, his conscience was so much pricked, that the fear lest any misfortune should befall made him resolve not to defer it any longer; and, to be able to go that year, he sold off his household goods, his shop, and with it the greatest part of his merchandises; reserving only some which he thought might turn to a better account at Mecca; and meeting with a tenant for his house, letⁱ that also.

Things being thus disposed, he was ready to go when the Bagdad caravan set out for Mecca; the only thing he had to do, was to secure a sum of a thousand pieces of gold, which would be troublesome to carry along with him, besides the money he had set apart to defray his expenses. To this end he made choice of a jar, of a proportionable size, put the thousand pieces of gold into it, and covered them over with olives. When he had closed the mouth of the jar, he carried it to a merchant, a particular friend of his, and said to him, You know, brother, that in two or three days time I set out with the caravan on my pilgrimage to Mecca; and I beg the favor of you, that you would take upon you the charge of keeping a jar of olives for me till I return. The merchant promised him he would, and in an obliging manner said, Here, take the key of my warehouse, and set your jar where you please; I promise you shall find it there when you come again.

On the day the caravan was to set out, Ali Cogia added himself to it, with a camel, (loaded with what merchandises he thought fit to carry along with him,) which served him to ride on, and arrived safe at Mecca, where he visited, along with other pilgrims, the temple so much celebrated and frequented by all Muslims every year, who come from all parts of the world and observe religiously the ceremonies prescribed them; and when he had acquitted himself of the duties of his pilgrimage, he exposed the merchandises he had brought with him, to sell or exchange them.

Two merchants passing by, and seeing Ali Cogia’s goods, thought them so fine and choice, that they stopped some time to look at them, though they had no occasion for them; and when they had satisfied their curiosity, one of them said to the other, as they were going away, If this merchant knew to what profit these goods would turn at Cairo, he would carry them thither, and not sell them here, though this is a good market.

Ali Cogia heard these words; and as he had often heard talk of the beauties of Egypt, he was resolved to take the opportunity of seeing them, and take a journey thither; therefore, after having packed up his goods again, instead of returning to Bagdad, he set out for Egypt with a caravan to Cairo; and when he came thither, he found his account in his journey, and in a few days sold all his goods to a greater advantage than he hoped for. . . .

[Using his profits to buy goods for sale back in Baghdad, he journeys homeward, but is lured into visiting other places by curiosity and business opportunity. Hence, he is gone from Baghdad for a long time.]

All this time, his friend, with whom he had left his jar of olives, neither thought of him nor them; but . . . one evening, when this merchant was supping at home with his family, and the discourse happening to fall upon olives, his wife was desirous to eat some, saying, that she had not tasted any for a long while. Now you talk of olives, said the merchant, you put me in mind of a jar which Ali Cogia left with me seven years ago, when he went to Mecca, and put it himself in my warehouse, for me to keep it for him against he returned; and what is become of him I know not; though, when the caravan came back, they told me he was gone for Egypt. Certainly he must be dead, since he has not returned in all this time; and we may eat the olives, if they prove good. Lend me a plate and a candle, and I will go and fetch some of them, and we will see.

For God’s sake, good husband, said the wife, do not commit so base an action; you know that nothing is more sacred than what is committed to one’s care and trust: you say Ali Cogia has been gone to Mecca, and is not returned; and they say, that he is gone to Egypt; and how do you know but that he may be gone farther? As you have no news of his death, he may return to-morrow, for any thing you can tell; and what a disgrace would it be to you and your family, if he should come, and you not restore him his jar in the same condition he left it? I declare I have no desire for the olives, and will not taste of them; for when I mentioned them, it was only by way of discourse; besides, do you think that they can be good, after they have been kept so long? They must be all moldy, and spoiled; and if Ali Cogia should return, as I have a great fancy he will, and should find they have been opened, what will he think of your honor? I beg of you to let them alone.

The wife had not argued so long with her husband, but that she read his obstinacy in his face. In short, he never regarded what she said, but got up, took a candle and a platter, and went into the warehouse. Well, husband, said the wife again, remember I have no hand in this business, and that you cannot lay any thing to my charge if you should have cause to repent of this action.

The merchant’s ears were deaf to these remonstrances of his wife, and he still persisted in his design. When he came into the warehouse, he opened the jar, and found the olives all moldy; but, to see if they were all so at the bottom, he turned the jar topsy-turvy upon the plate; and by shaking the jar, some of the gold tumbled out.

At the sight of the gold, the merchant, who was naturally covetous, looked into the jar, and perceived that he had shaken out almost all the olives, and what remained was gold coin fast wedged in: he immediately put the olives into the jar again, and returned to his wife. Indeed, my dear, said he, you was [sic] in the right to say that the olives were all moldy; for I have found it so, and have made up the jar just as Ali Cogia left it; so that he will not perceive that they have been touched, if he should return. You had better have taken my advice, said the wife, and not meddled with them: God grant that no mischief may come of it.

The merchant was not in the least affected with his wife’s last words, but spent almost the whole night in thinking how he might appropriate Ali Cogia’s gold to his own use, in case Ali Cogia should return, and ask him for the jar. The next morning he went and bought some olives of that year, took out the old, with the gold, and filled the jar with the new, covered it up, and put it in the same place.

About a month after the merchant had committed so base an action, (for which he ought to pay dear,) Ali Cogia arrived at Bagdad. . . .

The next morning, Ali Cogia went to pay a visit to the merchant his friend, who received him in the most obliging manner imaginable, and expressed a great deal of joy at his return, after so many years absence; telling him that he had begun to lose all hopes of ever seeing him again.

After the usual compliments on such a meeting, Ali Cogia desired the merchant to return him the jar of olives which he had left with him, and to excuse the liberty he had taken in giving him so much trouble.

My dear friend, Ali Cogia, replied the merchant, you are to blame to make all these apologies on such an occasion; I should have made as free with you; there, take the key of the warehouse, go and take it; you will find it in the same place where you left it.

Ali Cogia went into the merchant’s warehouse, took his jar, and after having returned him the key, and thanks for the favor he had done, returned with it to the inn where he lodged; and opening the jar, and putting his hand down to the bottom, to see for his gold, was very much surprised to find none. At first he thought he might perhaps be mistaken; and, to discover the truth, poured out all the olives, without so much as finding one single piece of money. His astonishment was so great, that he then stood for some time motionless: lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, he cried out, Is it possible that a man whom I took for my very good friend, should be guilty of so base an action?

Ali Cogia, cruelly frightened at so considerable a loss, returned immediately to the merchant. My good friend, said he, do not be surprised to see me come back so soon: I own the jar of olives to be the same put into your magazine; but with the olives I put a thousand pieces of gold into it, which I do not find: Perhaps you might have had an occasion for them, and used them in your traffic: if so, they are at your service; only put me out of my pain, and give me an acknowledgment, and pay me them again at your own convenience.

The merchant, who expected that Ali Cogia would come with such a complaint, had meditated upon a ready answer. Friend Ali Cogia, said he, when you brought your jar of olives to me, I never touched it, but gave you the key of my warehouse, whither you carried it yourself; and did not you find it in the same place, and covered in the same manner as when you left it? And if you put gold in it, you have found it again: You told me that they were olives, and I believed so. This is all I know of the matter; and you may believe me, if you please, for I never touched them.

Ali Cogia made use of all the mild ways he could think of, to oblige the merchant to do him right. I love peace and quietness, said he to him, and shall be very sorry to come to those extremities which will bring the greatest disgrace upon you: Consider, that merchants, as we are, ought to forsake all interest to preserve a good reputation. Once again, I tell you, I should be very much concerned, if your obstinacy should oblige me to force you to do me justice; for I would rather, almost, lose what is my right, than have recourse to law.

Ali Cogia, replied the merchant, you agree that you left the jar of olives with me; and now you have taken it away, you come and ask me for a thousand pieces of gold. Did you ever tell me that such a sum was in the jar? I knew nothing but that they were olives. I wonder you do not as well ask me for diamonds and pearls: Be gone about your business, and do not raise a mob about my shop.

These last words were pronounced in so great an heat and passion, as not only made those who stood about the shop already, stay longer, and created a great mob, but made the neighboring merchants come out of their shops to see what was the difference between Ali Cogia and the merchant, and endeavor to reconcile them; and when Ali Cogia had informed them of his grievance, they asked the merchant what he had to say.

The merchant owned that he had kept the jar for Ali Cogia in his warehouse, but denied that ever he meddled with it, and swore, that he knew nothing but that it was full of olives, as Ali Cogia told him, and bid them all bear witness of the insult and affront offered him. You bring it upon yourself, said Ali Cogia, taking him by the arm; but since you use me so basely, I cite you according to the law of God: Let us see whether you will have the assurance to say the same thing before the cady.ⁱⁱ

The merchant could not refuse this summons, which every good Muslim is bound to observe, or be declared a rebel against his religion; but said, With all my heart, we shall soon see who is in the wrong.

Ali Cogia carried the merchant before the cady, before whom he accused him of cheating him of a thousand pieces of gold, which he had left with him. The cady asked him if he had any witnesses; to which he replied that he had not taken that necessary precaution, because he believed the person he trusted his money with, to be his friend, and always took him for an honest man.

The merchant made the same defense he had done before the merchants his neighbors, offering to make oath that he never had the money he was accused of, and that he did not so much as know there was such a sum; upon which the cady took his oath, and afterwards dismissed him.

Ali Cogia, extremely mortified to find that he must sit down with so considerable a loss, protested against the sentence the cady gave, declaring that he would appeal to the caliph Haroun Alraschid, who would do him justice; which protestation the cady only looked upon as the effect of the common resentment of all those who lose their cause; and thought he had done his duty, in acquitting a person accused without witnesses.

While the merchant returned home, triumphing over Ali Cogia, and overjoyed at his good fortune, Ali Cogia went to get a petition drawn up; and the next day, observing the time when the caliph came from prayers in the afternoon, he placed himself in the street he was to pass through; and holding out his hand with the petition, an officer appointed for that purpose, who always goes before the caliph, came and took it from him.

As Ali Cogia knew that it was the caliph’s custom to read the petitions as he went into the palace, he went into the court, and waited till the officer came out of the caliph’s apartment, who told him the hour the caliph had appointed to hear him; and then asking him where the merchant lived, he sent to him to signify the caliph’s pleasure.

The same evening, the caliph, the grand visier Giafar, and Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs,ⁱⁱⁱ went all disguised through the town, as . . . it was usual so to do; and passing through a street, the caliph heard a noise, and mending his pace, he came to a gate which led into a little court, where, through a hole, he perceived ten or twelve children playing by moon-light.

The caliph, who was curious to know at what play these children played, sat down upon a bench which he found just by; and still looking through the hole, he heard one of the briskest and liveliest of the children say, Come, let us play at the cady. I will be cady; bring Ali Cogia and the merchant who cheated him of the thousand pieces of gold before me.

These words of the child put the caliph in mind of the petition Ali Cogia had given him that day, and made him redouble his attention. As Ali Cogia’s affairs and the merchant’s made a great noise, and were in every body’s mouth in Bagdad, it had not escaped the children, who all accepted the proposition with joy, and agreed on the parts each was to act; not one of them refused him that made the proposal to be cady; and when he had taken his seat, which he did with all the seeming gravity of a cady, another, as an officer of the court, presented two before him; one as Ali Cogia, and the other as the merchant against whom he complained.

Then the pretended cady, directing his discourse to the feigned Ali Cogia, asked him what he had to lay to that merchant’s charge?

Ali Cogia, after a low bow, informed the young cady of the fact, and related every particular, and afterwards begged that he would use his authority, that he might not lose so considerable a sum of money.

Then the cady, turning about to the merchant, asked him why he did not return the money which Ali Cogia demanded of him.

The young merchant alleged the same reasons as the real merchant had done before the cady himself, and proffered to confirm it by an oath, that what he had said was truth. Not so fast, replied the pretended cady; before you come to your oath, I should be glad to see the jar of olives. Ali Cogia, said he, addressing himself to the lad who acted that part, have you brought the jar? No, replied he: Then go and fetch it immediately.

The pretended Ali Cogia went immediately, and returning as soon, feigned to bring a jar before the cady, telling him, that it was the same he left with the accused person, and took away again. But to omit no part of the formality, the supposed cady asked the merchant if it was the same; and as, by his silence, he seemed not to deny it, he ordered it to be opened. He that represented Ali Cogia, seemed to take off the cover, and the pretended cady made as if he looked into it. They are fine olives, said he; let me taste them; and then pretending to eat of them, added, they are excellent: But, continued he, I cannot think that olives will keep seven years, and be so good: Send for two olive merchants, and let me hear what is their opinion. Then the two boys, as olive merchants, presented themselves. Are you olive merchants, said the sham cady? Tell me how long olives will keep to be fit to eat.

Sir, replied the two merchants, let us take what care we can, they will hardly be worth any thing at the third year; for they have neither taste nor colour. If it be so, answered the cady, look into that jar, and tell me how old those olives are.

The two merchants pretended to examine and to taste the olives, and told the cady they were new and good. You are deceived, said the young cady; there is Ali Cogia, who says they were put into the jar seven years ago.

Sir, replied the merchants, we can assure you they are of this year’s growth; and we will maintain, there is not a merchant in Bagdad but will say the same.

The sham merchant that was accused would fain have objected against the evidence of the olive merchants; but the cady would not suffer him. Hold your tongue, said he; you are a rogue, and ought to be hanged. Then the children put an end to their play, by clapping their hands with a great deal of joy, and seizing the criminal, to carry him to execution.

I cannot express how much the caliph Haroun Alraschid admired the wisdom and sense of the boy who had passed so just a sentence, in an affair which was to be pleaded before him the next day; and rising up off the bench he sat on, he asked the grand visier, who heard all that passed, what he thought of it. Indeed, Commander of the True Believers, answered the grand visier Giafar, I am surprised to find so much sense in one so young.

But, answered the caliph, dost thou know one thing? I am to pronounce sentence in this very cause tomorrow, and that the true Ali Cogia presented his petition to me today: And do you think, continued he, that I can judge better? I think not, answered the visier, if the case is as the children represented it. Take notice then of this house, said the caliph, and bring the boy to me tomorrow, that he may judge of this affair in my presence; and also order the cady who acquitted the roguish merchant to attend, to take example by a child: Besides, take care to bid Ali Cogia bring his jar of olives with him, and let two olive merchants be present. After this charge, he pursued his rounds, without meeting with any thing worth his attention.

The next day, the visier went to the house where the caliph had been a witness of the children’s play, and asked for the master of it; but he being abroad, his wife came to him. He asked her if she had any children. To which she answered, she had three; and called them. My brave boys, said the visier, which of you was the cady, when you played together last night? The eldest made answer, he was: But not knowing why he asked the question, colored.^iv Come along with me, child, said the grand visier, the Commander of the Faithful wants to see you.

The mother was in a great fright when she saw the grand visier would take her son with him, and asked him upon what account the caliph wanted him. The grand visier promised her that he should return again in an hour’s time, when he would tell her; assuring her he should come to no harm. But pray, sir, said the mother, give me leave to dress him first, that he may be fit to appear before the Commander of the Faithful; which the visier readily complied with.

As soon as the child was dressed, the visier carried him, and presented him to the caliph, at the time he had appointed Ali Cogia and the merchant. The caliph, who saw that the boy was dashed,^v to encourage him, said, Come to me, child, and tell me if it was you that determined the affair between Ali Cogia and the merchant that cheated him of his money. I saw and heard you, and am very well pleased with you. The boy answered modestly, that it was he. Well, my dear, replied the caliph, come and sit down by me, and you shall see the true Ali Cogia and the true merchant.

Then the caliph set him on the throne by him, and asked for the two parties. When they were called, they came and prostrated themselves before the throne, bowing their heads quite down to the tapestry. Afterwards, the caliph said to them, Plead both of you your causes before this child, who shall do you both justice; and if he be at any loss, I will rectify it.

Ali Cogia and the merchant pleaded one after the other, as before; but when the merchant proposed his oath, the child said, It is too soon; it is proper that we should see the jar of olives.

At these words, Ali Cogia presented the jar, placed it at the caliph’s feet, and opened it. The caliph looked upon the olives, and took one, and tasted of it. Afterwards the merchants were called, who examined the olives, and reported that they were good, and of that year. The boy told them, that Ali Cogia assured him that it was seven years since he put them up; and they returned the same answer as the children who represented them the night before.

Though the merchant who was accused saw plainly that these merchants’ opinion would condemn him, yet he would say something in his own justification: When the child, instead of ordering him to be hanged, looked upon the caliph, and said, Commander of the Faithful, this is no jesting matter; it is your majesty that must condemn him to death, and not me, though I did it yesterday in my play.

The caliph, fully satisfied of the merchant’s villany,^vi gave him into the hands of

the ministers of justice, to be hanged; which sentence was executed upon him, after he had confessed where he had hid the thousand pieces of gold, which were re stored to Ali Cogia.

Then the monarch, who was all just and equitable, turning to the cady, bid him learn of the child how to acquit himself of his duty; and embracing the boy, sent him home with a purse of a hundred pieces of gold, as a token of his liberality.^vii

Notes

Review

1. 1. Because of its moral, we can assume that this story “encodes” certain social messages about proper behaviors and values in Muslim society of that era. By examining the actions of both Ali Cogia and the man with whom he left the jar of “olives,” describe how a merchant should behave in Muslim society. How does it compare with contemporary American values concerning merchants?

2. 2. Consider the way that political authority is represented in this story. How many different instances can you identify in which authority is represented as responsive and legitimate? How do the political concerns presented here compare with the ideal behavior expected of a merchant?